Hair-drying machine.



Nl 734,346. PATENT-ED JULY 2.1, 1903...

E.' MINK. HAIR DRYING 11110111111.

APPLIOATIQN FILED Rdv. 11, 1902.

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rn: Norms vETsRs w., woou'nw,Y wAsNmsToN u c No. 734,346; f 'PATENTBD JULYzIpIaoS.. E. MINE. y HAIR DRYING MACHINE.

APPLlOATION FILED NOV. 1I, 1902.

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UNITED STATES? matted July'm, 19031 PATE-N T OFFICE:

EDWARD MINK, oF oAIjsKILL, NEW YORK.

' v'HAIR-nl -jnr-.lNG MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patet No. 734,345, este@ July 21, 190e. Applicatien led November l1l., 1902. Serial Nc. model-.l

To @ZZ whom, it nung concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD MINK,a citi-I zen of the United States, residing at Catskill,

in the county of Greene and State ofNew..

York, have invented new anduseful Improvements in Hair-Drying Machines, of which the warm gentle breeze of dry air uniformly to the hair in order to thoroughly remove all moisture therefrom, and the temperature of the air can be readily regulated, the greatest amount of heat being applied at the commencement of the drying operation and being gradually lowered as such operation progresses.

The device can also be utilized for manyy other purposes-for example, for directing heat to different parts of the human body in' the treatment of rheumatic affections and other ailments.

Theimproved device includes in its organi-` course, with the temperature of the surround,.

ing atmosphere.

Said device is shown in one simple embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of said machine. Fig..2 is a detail view of an inner drum. Fig. 3 is asectional side elevation of the machine. Fig. 4 is a sectional front elevation of the same. Fig. 5 is a detail view of a blast-controller.

Like characters refer to .like parts in the several figures.

The improved machine, which in some respects is an improvement upon the apparatus for drying ladies hair disclosed by Letters Patent No. 610,072, granted to me August 30, 1898, includes in its organization a fan-casing, (denoted in a general way by 5,) which is illustrated as being of cylindrical form. The

tatively supported upon the inner one for a purpose that will hereinafter appear. The

outer drum has at a suitable .place in its periphery the outlet for the blast of air, which outlet is surrounded by the rigid sleeve 7, constituting part of a tube or conduit for delivering the air to the hair or to any other part of the human body. The inner or relatively Iixed drum 5a has an elongated peripheral opening 6, adapted to register with the outlet 6, hereinbefore described, and through which the blast of airis adapted to pass to enter the conduit or discharge-tube mentioned.

A fan 8 is shown as rotatively mounted in the casing 5 and as being of propeller form, its shaft extending from said casing and into a housing 9, fastened in some suitable manl ner to a shelf or plate 10. The inner drum 5a is fixed relatively to the companion drum 5b, and it is fastened to the shelf or plate by means of the angular brackets 11.

The housing 9 is adapted to inclose a motor, which may be a water, electric, or any other kind of one,the fan-shaft being connected with the motor in some suitable manner. The shelf or plate 10, which sustains the housing 9, and therefore the other parts of the machine, maybe mounted upon casters, or may be fastened tol a wall, ceiling, or any other suitable part. I have not shown the motor inthehousing 9 for the reason that thesame forms no part of the invention. In case a water -motor is provided, water supply and discharge pipes, as 9a and 9b, respectively, may lead to and from the housing 9. What constitutes the outer side of the inner or relatively fixed drum 5a is shown as open', the opposite side of the outer drum 5b being also open. The outer side of the outer drum-has an opening or inlet 12. for the radmissioni of delivered from the latter in a warm or heated IOO the casing just below the inlet 12 and sus-U tains abnrner 15 of some suitable kind. n The burner shown is a Bunsen gas-burner, but it will be evident that some equivalent device could be employed instead thereof and the Sallie IeSUltS Secured.

The head or upper end of the burner 15 is inclosed by the hood 16, having a auge along its inner edge suitably fastened to the casing 5. It will be seen that the inner side of the hood is open. The hood 16 is adapted to collect atmospheric air, which latter is heated by the [iame from the burner l5, the heated air from the hood being drawn into the opening or inlet 13 by the rotation of the fan 8 and being forced by said fan'through the outlets 6iL and 6. The outer face of the hood has one or more draft-openings 17.

The fixed sleeve 7 receives the removable sleeve 18, the two sleeves constituting a discharge tube or conduit for directing the heated air forced therethrough, by the rotalion of the fan 8 against the human head in order to dry the hair thereon after the same has been shampooed, or such air can be applied to any other part of the body. Said discharge conduit or tube may extend in any suitable direction from the casing 5.

The outer portion of the tube 18 is flared or outwardly tapered, as at 19, so that the air, when it enters such dared portion, is permitted to expand in order that it is not directed with undue force against the scalp.

A cone 20, constituting a distributer, is secured in the flared portion 19 by means of the bars 2l, the diameter of the outer end of the cone being less than thecorresponding portion of the flared portion, so that an air-space is left between such parts, through which the air is delivered in a thin sheet to the hair or other parts of the body. It will be seen that the apex of the cone points toward the outlets 6a and 6. In some cases the cone may be dispensed with.

I prefer to make the sleeve 7 and tube 18, constituting the conduit for the air, of metal or some rigid material instead of flexible material, as where the latter is employed it is necessary for the operator to hold the same during the drying operation, or if he should be called away momentarily the drying operation would have to be stopped, which would not be necessary by making the dischargeconduit of some rigid material. The conduit is preferably of enlarged diameter, so that the air is delivered in a gentle blast or wave against the head.

In operation the customer is seated in adjacence to the machine, and the burner 15 having been lighted and the fan 8 started air will be drawn from the atmosphere by the fan S into the hood 16 through the opening 13 into the casing 5, from Which it is forced by the fau through the registering outlets 6a and (i into the sleeve 7 and sleeve 1S against the hair of the customer, the air being heated in the hood by the burner therein. By lowering the iame of the burner the temperature of the air will be lowered and the force of the air may be varied by changing the speed of the fan. While the air-blast is directed against the hair, the sameis manipulated in the usual manner, so that the heated air will reach all portions of it in order to thoroughly dry the same. As the drying progresses the temperature of the air is gradually lowered by progressively decreasing the size of the flame issuing from the burner. In some cases the burner need not be used, the air then drawn into the casing and directed against the hair or body being cool.

Itis found in practice that the hair by means of the warm blast can be thoroughlydried and left in a soft pliable condition Without possibility of the same snapping or breaking and without possibility of the customer catching cold in about iive minutes.

It will be remembered that the outer drum 5b, in which the outlet 6 is formed, is rotatively supported upon the inner drum 5, having the elongated peripheral outlet 6", and that the air-delivery tube, consisting oi.' the sleeves 7 and 18, extends rigidly from the outer drum, so that by turning the said outer drum the angular position of the said tube can be Varied in order to apply the Warm blast of air to any part of the body, the said outlet 6n being made sufficiently long to secure its regisistration with the outlet 6 during the turning of the outer drum.

ln the removable sleeve 18, constituting part of the discharge-tube for the Warm blast of air, I removably mount a blast-controller, which is shown as including a band 25, slidingly inclosed by said sleeve, by reason of IOO which it can be slipped into and out of place.

This band is provided with the internal diametrically-disposed diaphragm or disk 26, having a central opening 27 4for the passage of air, the apex of the cone 20 being in proximity to such opening. The diaphragm, which is connected to the band 25 by means of the angular pieces 28, 4is bent on itself at superposed points, so as to provide for the passage of air above and below the same, the bent portions of the diaphragm extending outwardly and overlying the inner end of the cone. The air after it issues from the casing 5 is divided by the blast-controller into superposed segmental branches or currents, which are directed against the hair falling from the head of the customer between the sides thereof, said superposed segments of air being comparatively dense. The current or branch of air issuing from the opening 27 of course fills in the space between the superposed segments, and it also is of considerable density. By reason of dividing the air into the three streams in the manner set forth drying of the hair is materially facilitated.

The invention is not limited to any particular way of fastening the inner drum in place, for this may be done in other Ways than that hereinbefore described.

I-Iaving described my invention, what I claim is-- IIO IIS

1. In a machine of the class described, a casing having an air-inlet and an air-outlet, a fan rotatively mounted in said casing, a hood secured to the side of the casing in proximity to said air-inlet, a burner inclosed by said hood for heating the atmospheric air owing thereinto.

2. In a machine of the class described, a casing having an air-inlet and consisting of two drums one rotative on the other, the inner drum having an enlarged peripheral opening and the outer drum having an opening adapted to register with the other opening, whereby air can pass through said openings from the. casing, a. discharge-tube surrounding the opening in the outer drum, and a fan rotative in said casing.

3. In a machine of the class described, a casing having an inlet and consisting of two drums one rotative on the other, the inner drum having anenlarged peripheral opening and the outer drum having an opening adapted to register with the other opening, whereby air can pass through said openings from the casing, a discharge-tube surrounding the opening in the outer drum, a fan ro,- tative in said casing, and means for heating the air prior to its entrance into the casing.

4. In a machine of the class described, a

casing having an air-inlet and an air-outlet, a discharge-tube surrounding the air-outlet, a. diaphragm in said tube provided with superposed outwardly-bent portions, and a fan rotative in said casing.

5. In a machine of the class described, a casing having an air-inlet and an air-outlet, a fan rotative in said casing, a dischargetube surrounding the said air-inlet, and a band removably fitted in said tube and provided with a diaphragm having a central opening and superposed outwardly-bent portions.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

I EDWARD MINK.

Witnesses:

HOWARD C. WILBUR, CLIFFORD B. DYKEMAN. 

